Alice Returns: A Game of War
by Mrs.XXXXXX
Summary: Alice returns to Wonderland for unknown reasons to find that a war has begun. However, she finds that no one knows how it began in the first place. Travel back with her to find out where all the trouble started with her old friend Hatta, and a new friend who might be more than she appears. (Based off of book by Carol and 1985 movie starring Anthony Newley and Natalie Gregory)
1. She Returns

Hello! Quick intro! I'm back after vanishing for a while... And I'm back with a fic based off of my favorite book/books. Hope you guys will leave a review for me! I have

about three of the next chapters done so, just ask if you guys want the next chapter! Enjoy!

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…I had forgotten how long it had been since my last visit to that place…So much had changed…Things seemed darker somehow…And nothing looked the same…The pathway through the rabbit hole didn't look like a rabbit hole should. It wasn't covered in dirt and leaves, but in hard, cold, stone.

I kept trying to remember what it looked like before I left there so many years ago…It's all a blur now…All I really remember was a song… Something about laughter I think….Not exactly a cheerful song…but…maybe hopeful…Yes, that's what it was, though I can hardly remember the lyrics now…

I'd grown up quite a bit after I'd left. It'd been nine years, ten years to the day tomorrow…Exactly ten years since the Red and White Queen threw me a party.

Ten years since the White Knight saved me from being captured by the Red Knight…

Ten years since I'd met the Mock Turtle, The Griffin, Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, The

Lion and the Unicorn, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit, and the March Hare, the Door Mouse…

Ten years since I'd met…the Mad Hatter.

It's been ten years since I'd gone into the Looking Glass World, and into Wonderland…So much has changed…I can feel it…

 _What's happened here?_ I thought to myself. _I don't remember much about this place, but I do remember it being much, much brighter._ I remembered walking down a familiar path to the house of the Duchess and her pepper crazed cook and I found myself standing in the hall of doors. My first thought was to check to see what doors are unlocked. I walked to each of the doors, and all of them…every single one was…

"Unlocked. Broken into…All of them are." I turned quickly to find the White Rabbit sitting on his haunches looking sadly at the door. "Why did you come back?"

"Well I…" Seeing the Rabbit so suddenly, . "I'm not entirely sure."

"You must go back Alice…It isn't the same here as it used to be." His ears drooped, falling to the sides of his head. Feeling a sense of sadness fall over the poor animal, I fell to my knees in front of him and lifted his head to face me.

"Rabbit, what has happened here?" He stared back sadly at me. "Won't you please tell me Rabbit? What has happened to my Wonderland?"

"Oh, Alice, my dear girl. We are in desperate need of your help." He covered his eyes with his paws as tears began to fall down his furred cheeks. "Everything has turned upside-down in Wonderland, Alice. No one is acting like themselves anymore. And everything is dying. The Red and White queen have begun a war. The Queen of hearts has fallen ill, so no trials have come about, and things are going missing all over the kingdom. Even the Cheshire Cat has stopped smiling!"

"What of the Mad Hatter? And the March Hare, and the Door Mouse?"

"The Hatter, he's a hatter no more! He's been captured by the Red Queen and is being forced to act as a personal guard!" He suddenly stopped in the middle of his lament and hopped to the nearest door. "Alice quickly follow me!" He rushed through the door, leaving me almost no time to gather myself off the floor and follow him. We were traveling through another rabbit hole and this one too was covered in stone. He led me to an opening in a small grove. It seemed vaguely familiar, except all the trees were bare, and the bark had begun to rot off the trunks.

"Quickly! We need to be quick Alice! There's about to be another battle! You need to stop it!"

"What?! How can I stop it?!" I said nearly panting as we continued to run.

"No time! No time! We'll be late!" The child in me wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the statement. It had been almost ten years ago since I'd heard those words. And had I not seen what was to be seen where we arrived at our destination, I might have.

"Get up! The Red Queen won't like it if you lose!"

"Get up! Good Gooseberries man! What are you doing?!" I pushed my way to the front of the crowd to see two soldiers fighting in the circle, each with a sword. The one wearing white was wearing a large insignia on the back his armor, in the shape of a Unicorn, the other was wearing a heavy leather jacket with a red lion on the back. The red solider was currently on one knee, hunched over with a hand clasped to his side.

"If he's smart, then he won't try to get up." The white solider sneered as he brought the shield across the head of the other man, knocking him to the ground, and sending his helmet flying into the crowd. "What say you, Red Hat?"

"I say nothing at all." My eyes fell onto the face of the man who lie on the ground with a sword at his throat.

"Good. Then I say this! DOWN WITH THE RED QUEEN!" He brought the sword above his head and I could help myself from shouting-

"STOP!" I'm sure my command must have at least startled him, for he dropped the sword behind him and dropped his shield on his foot.

"Who are you?!" He said accusingly as he hopped on his good foot in attempt to spare his bad foot the pain.

"She's Alice." Said the White Rabbit loudly.

"Alice?"

"The Alice?"

"Alice is back?"

"A-Alice?" Dark blue eyes met my light blue ones and instantly I remembered who he was…I could never forget those eyes so full of mischief. I couldn't recognize it then, but that's all it was. Or that's what they used to be. The eyes I looked into at this moment weren't bright and full of magic, but blurred almost faded and full of pain "Is…I-is it you?" I moved from my place in the crowd to kneel by the Hatter, who was bleeding weakly from his side.

"Yes, Hatter…It's me. It's Alice." My heart wrenched at the sight of the man fallen in battle. I stood up from his side and stood with a stern face and stiff back to face the crowd. "I order this battle to be over! Go back to your usual routines and leave here at once!"

"Oh yeah?" The white knight grabbed onto my arm and turned me to face him. "And who are you to order the battle over?"

"She…is…who s-she says…she…is." Hatter began to push himself off of the ground, leaning on his unused sword. "She…is…A-Alice…" I could hear gasps among the crowd. "Queen of the Fourth Square."

"Queen Alice, of the Fourth Square. You were rumored to be dead, killed by the Jabberwocky." A man stepped out from the crowd. "Have…h-have you come back to stop the war?"

"I…" I could feel the eyes of the crowd on me expecting an answer.

"It doesn't matter why she's here." The white knight squeezed my arm tighter and pulled my face towards his. "It only matters that she stays out of the White Queen's way. Or risk her-" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of metal.

"Finish that sentence. Please…" Within the few moments the White Knight took close hold on me, Hatter regained his lost strength and moved quickly to bring his sword to the White Knight's throat. "Finish the sentence or release Alice. But choose now and choose quickly."

"Fine." Said the knight with a loud sigh through his nose. "You best mind yourself Hatter, next time I won't be so merciful." He released me roughly, turned on his heel, and left on his horse. "Believe what I say Hatter!" He shouted as he rode away.

"Hmmph…" The Hatter sheathed his sword as he turned to me. He nodded towards the crowd. "They want an answer my dear."

 _An answer…an answer to a question I hardly know myself…Why am I here? I wish someone would tell me…_

"Here is my answer...For all of you. Leave here now and return to your homes. So long as I am here…" _I hope I don't regret this…_ "As long as I am in Wonderland…I…will do my best…To help all of you the best I can. Now please…return to your homes."

Slowly, the crowd began to dissipate…leaving only myself and the Hatter.

"Well, that's the end of that I suppose." I heard his tired voice say. "I…I suppose I'll be…" He took a step forward and his leg began to wobble under his weight. I moved to help him, but he put a hand up in attempt to stay me. "No…I'm fine. You, you need to find your way back to where ever it is you came from. It's not safe here…Not for you, not for me…not for…any…one…" He fell to his knees.

"Well, even if I wanted to at this very second," _Which I do._ "I wouldn't know how to. It's funny actually. The second time I've managed to fall into Wonderland, and I still don't know how I got home the first time." As I tried to put an arm around his shoulders, he shrugged me off.

"What are you talking about?" He looked at me tiredly again. "What do you mean the 'second time'?" He managed to get himself standing on both legs, but only managed to get a couple steps until he ended leaning on me almost completely.

"Why, don't you remember Hatter?" We walked a few steps to the nearest tree so that he could lean on it. "I invited myself to your…tea party." Suddenly my memories started flooding back. All of them perfectly clear as if it had only been yesterday that I first fell into Wonderland.

"I don't remember you." He pointedly as he pushed off of the tree and started a slow walk back to what I assumed was his home.

"You don't…?" My heart fell. Maybe too much had changed in wonderland…Maybe the memories had changed too.

"No." His voice surprised me, he sounded choked up. "Just leave, whoever you are. Alice died years ago at the claws of the Jabberwocky. We haven't heard from her since. Just leave…"

"But-"

"Please…please just…leave." A sob ended the request and he collapsed at the bottom of a tree. "P-please, it isn't safe here. If you stay, you-you'll end up like us." I could feel my heart breaking at the sound of his tears. It wasn't right for him to be crying like this. Mad men shouldn't cry. They should… _they should…_

" **Laugh, at every single thing we do.**

 **Just laugh, and we shall all perform for you.**

 **Just smile, and tensions will unwind.**

 **And you'll find, that your mind takes a kind of view…"**

"How…? How do you…?" He slowly turned towards me. There were still tears running down his face.

" **Though there are times when crying seems the thing to do,**

 **Keep on trying till your dreams come true.**

 **Your heart, I'm sure, knows what is best for you.**

 **So laugh…little girl…just laugh…"**

"Alice? Little Alice?" He leaned heavily on the tree and shuffled his way to me. "It's you…it's really you." He sniffed and chuckled. "You've grown up quite a bit haven't you?" He started to wobble on his feet, and this time when I put my arm around his shoulders, he didn't shrug it off.

"I suppose I have. What direction are we going?" I was happy that the man had stopped crying, but I was less than pleased with the fact that throughout this entire ordeal, he had still been bleeding out of his wound, albeit slowly, he was losing far too much blood.

"Down the trail, to your left there." He pointed in the direction of the trail. "It isn't hard to find."

"Is there a hospital down that way?" I said, as we slowly padded through the forest.

"It's...itsa hospital of sorts. S'enough for what we'need." His words began to slur together. "C'n we stop a moment? M'gettin' a bit tired."

"No, I'm afraid not. If we do, you might decide that you'd like to get some rest, and if you do that, I'm not too sure if I'd be able to carry you the rest of the way there." As we got closer to the edge of the trees, a house could be seen in the distance. "Is that it Hatter?"

"Hmmm…yes'at s'it." I could feel him starting to fall asleep whilst leaning on my shoulders.

"Hold on Hatter, we're almost there." As we got closer and closer, I could feel his body getting heaver and heaver. "Your house Hatter? This is the hospital?" We made it a few steps away from the gate before he collapsed. "Hatter? Hatter!"

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Bye now!


	2. A New Face

Chapter two! Up and upper! Feel free to leave reviews and comments!

Hope you enjoy!

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"Hatta!" I turned to see the March Hare bounding over from behind the house. "The White Knight again!" He stopped and fell to his knees in front of Hatter and me. "Who are you?"

"I'm-"

"Never mind! Help me get him into the house!" The hare took hold of him by the legs, and I managed to carry him under the arms into the house. "On tha couch! Place him on tha couch!" As we laid him on the couch, a woman rushed into the room with a small black bag.

"Oh no…Hatta?" She picked up his wrist to take his pulse. She sighed in relief as she laid his wrist back down. "He's still alive. Haigha can you get the kettle for me?"

"Of course."

"This one is deeper than the last one he brought home." She said as she began to unbutton his shirt. "Shoot…"

"Here you are." The Hare bounded in again and quickly handed off the kettle to the strange woman. She carried a satchel at her side and from it she took a handful of what looked like some kind of plant and dropped it into the kettle. Then she turned towards me. "What happened? He usually isn't banged up this badly."

"Usually? What do you mean usually?"

"Well, I mean, it's not often I have to worry about whether or not he comes back alive. He can usually handle himself."

"HE CAN WHAT?!" I'm not quite sure what had gotten me so angry…Perhaps it had been the fact that I had been there and seen what the Hatter had gone through, and the fact that she had the audacity to say that he could handle himself in a fight…I think it had all finally come crashing down.

"I'm sorry?" She took a cloth and dipped it into the kettle and put it directly on his wound. "All I did was-". A hiss of pain escaped the lips of the Hatter.

"Stop! You're hurting him!" I snatched her hand away from him, accidentally knocking the kettle over into her lap.

"AHHH! OH MY-! OW!" She stood up quickly, tripped and fell backwards into the coffee table. Suddenly the Hatter sprang off of the couch.

"What's going on!? Bunny?!" He spotted her lying on the floor and went to bend over her. "Hello Bunny…are you alright?" He looked almost as if he had never been injured. Then only sign that he had, was the blood stain on his jacket. Of course even then, his jacket was red, so it was still difficult to tell.

"Hello Hatta…yes I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm quite alright, but, you see, I haven't had my tea yet." He began to chuckle and she to giggle. "Up we go Bunny!" She put both her hands up and he pulled her to her feet. "How many is that this week?"

"Um…four I think."

"Five." Said the Hare. "Ya' forgot about the one on 6th Sunday."

"Oh, right. Five then." Then she looked at me. "Hatta, why was she yelling at me?" Her eyes seemed to grow and become glossy. She looked like a puppy that had been kicked, or more appropriately…a bunny that had been kicked.

"Yelling?" He turned back towards me. "I…So…" He walked toward me and slowly placed a hand on my shoulder. "You…you are here?" I nodded slowly. "And...you are real?" I nodded again. His other hand came to rest on my other shoulder. "Alice…is it really you? The little girl at my tea party?"

"Yes." Before I could say anything else, he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. We stood there very silent for a while. And then he spoke…

"You've been gone far too long Alice…"

"So she is alive?" Bunny walked up to me. "You're the famous Alice I've heard so much about. It seems like the entirety of Wonderland thought the worst of your absence."

"Bunny's right." Hatter, or rather Hatta, released me from the hug. "You never came back Alice…We all thought that it might have been because you forgot about us but..."  
"Hatta was sure for the longest that you hadn't forgotten about them. But then, if you hadn't forgotten about them…what else could have happened?"

"Them?" I noticed that she hadn't included herself in any of her previous statements. "Why do you keep saying them?"

"Oh, well, I'm not from Wonderland." She said. "In fact, I'm from a place a lot like yours!" She smiled and picked up the kettle. "Except where I'm from, you're as made up as Haigia and Hatta here."

"Oh! Really?"

"Yes really. I suppose you could imagine the surprise I felt when I fell down Rabbit's rabbit hole." She took the kettle and hung it up over the fire and poured some water out of another pot into it. "Then again. It's been changing ever since you left." She turned back around as her smile fell. "Do…d-do you know what's been happening Alice?"

"Now, now…One thing at a time my dear." Hatta walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug. "Besides that, from what I can tell," He turned his head towards me. "Alice probably doesn't know any more than we do…Am I correct in saying so Alice?"

"…Unfortunately…yes, I don't know what's going on at all. Take for example, I don't have the slightest clue as to why you were fighting out about the town. I thought you were a Hatter!" I huffed. "Since when do you make it your business to go about fighting off knights?"

"I didn't…the Red Queen did." He sighed and sat back down on the couch. As I looked harder at it, I could see multiple dark-brown stains… _dried blood probably…_ I thought to myself. He continued. "After the Jabberwocky attack, things went back to the way they were before you visited wonderland. But then…something started to…spread."

"Spread? What do you mean?" I sat down next to him on the couch.

"I…" He looked towards Bunny for a moment and then back at me. "I don't know…It…It fades in and out sometimes." He stood up quickly and walked to go stand by the window.

"What does?" No answer…

"He…" Bunny took Hatta's place by me on the couch. "He mean the… _madness._ " She whispered the last part. "It's still there…but sometimes it'll just…it messes with him. No one can afford to be mad anymore, for the risk that they might end up a very different kind of mad."

"Different kind of mad?"

"Yes…the dangerous kind." He turned back to face us. "I'm sure you have noticed I'm not exactly as you remember." I felt it appropriate to chuckle at the comment.

"Quite, sir. Of course, it's hard not to." He chuckled and wiped his hands down the front of his coat.

"No, I'm sure it isn't. But I think…That is, you believe that I'm talking about what can be taken at face value." His smile fell slightly. "What I meant was…well…I don't sound exactly as I did before…Do I?" I took a moment to think. _No… I don't suppose you do… You sound more…_

"Lucid? I that an appropriate word for this? For the way you sound?" He put his hands in his pockets and nodded.

"Yes…I suppose that would. By any means I sound much less…" He stopped for a moment in thought. "Oh…what was the word you used Bunny?" The female in question was currently picking up the pieces of the table she had fallen into.

"I think it was potty, dear." She giggled. "Yes, that was it! I said you were a rather potty gentleman and in turn you called me a barmy maid!" She stood up from the floor. "Excuse me while I put this away!" She disappeared into the kitchen

"Of course." I said meekly. I felt rather bad at yelling at the woman earlier. She seemed quite sweet.

"Oh, don't you worry Alice, she holds no grudges." He walked up to me and squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. "Such is her gift." He looked into the direction of the kitchen and smiled gently. "She truly is something…special."

"Hatta…Where did she come from?" I asked, slowly growing more and more curious at about the newest addition to wonderland.

"She…Well…I…" He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "I'm not sure. She simply dropped in one day, and never got the inclination to leave." He smiled brightly and chuckled again. "Right onto the table she did. Broke half my tea cups."

"She fell onto your table?!" I said amused. "How did she manage that?!"

"As I said, she's a very special-!" A crash came from the kitchen. He laughs outright. "And there goes the other half! Everything alright Bunny?!"

"Yes dear! Just fine!...Where is the glue by the way?!"

"The ceiling, as always!" He rubbed a hand over his face and smiled at Alice. "As I was saying…She's a very special girl." She walked back into the room, still smiling brightly.

"I fixed the cups, or well, I will. I stuck up the bits that fell with the glue so I can put it back together later." As she talked I took the time to looks at what she was wearing. From the look of the way she dressed, you would have thought that she was one of those ladies whose father's owned large plantations where the cotton grew before the revolutionary war. However, her skin revealed that she would have been working those fields than walking about them idly. She continued to talk, and I did my best to listen, however, a small emblem on the shoulder of her sleeve caught my eye. "Alice?" A unicorn insigma. "Alice is something the matter?

"You're…You're…" I looked at her curious expression. "You're with him?"

"W-what do you mean?" She looked at me innocently. She looked at me innocently with that terrible insignia on her shoulder.

"How dare you? With that animal on your arm, how dare you?!" She took a step back as I took a step forward.

"What do you mean?!" She looked towards Hatta for help. "What is she talking about?!"

"Alice! What's gotten into you?!" He stepped in between Bunny and I, and put his arms up in front of her protectively.

"She's with him! The white knight! The man who nearly killed you not more than an hour ago?!" Frustrated I stomped my foot, effectively spooking the woodland creature shivering behind Hatta.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" She clasped onto the back of his jacket.

"She's with the white queen! And her knight nearly-!"

"Now just a moment!" He shouted. "You know very little of what has been going on here in Wonderland, Alice, and it would be very good of you not to make quick accusations about things you know nothing about!" He looked at me sadly and sighed though his nose. "But...perhaps if I explained…you'd understand…" I crossed my arms and looked up at him, still very frustrated.

"Perhaps you should." He sighed again and slipped off his jacket and walked over to the other side of the room. "Yes…she is. She is a member of the White Queen's Army. But…She had no choice…"

"Hatta…" Bunny walked over to him slowly and took his coat. "Perhaps we should talk about this later. You should be in bed…" It was the first time all afternoon she had looked anything other than cheerful. Somber was an expression that fit poorly on her round face.

"Just after this dear…" He looked down at her smiling softly. "It's alright Bernice…I'll be fine, just as usual." He cupped her cheek with a tender hand and sighed once more. "It seems since the start of all this, sighing seems to have become one of many new habits for me." He looked back at me and snickered. "Forgive me, I suppose I'm not making any more sense than usual…Am I Alice?" I gave a small smile back to him.

"I'm afraid not."

"Well…" He scratched behind an ear and shrugged his shoulders, "Perhaps it would all be easier to explain over a cup?" He looked back to Bunny. "Do you mind love?"

"Of course not." She walked back to the kitchen and hung up his jacket outside the door. "I'll only be a minute." And she disappeared again.

"Join me on the ottoman, won't you Alice?" He sat and patted the space next to him. I did as he asked and sank into the worn cushion. "Forgive me for the furniture being less than the current, but perhaps it will be enough for you to say what I have to say…" He looked at me meekly. "I need your word Alice, that everything I tell you will stay in this room."

"You have it." I said.

"Here we are." Bunny walked back into the room with a tray. "Shall we then?" And she handed a cup to Hatta and I, and kept one for herself.

"We shall." He sipped from the cup and sighed before speaking again. "Now I-" There was a rough knock at the door.

"Hatta, were you expecting company?" The knocks turned into hard whacks against the wood.

"IN THE NAME OF THE WHITE QUEEN, WE DEMAND ENTRY, OR WE SHALL BREAK DOWN THE DOOR."


	3. Sir Blanc

Chapter 3! Will post one chapter for every one i finish!

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"T-they said they wouldn't come until tomorrow!" The assault on the door continued.

"IN THE NAME OF THE WHITE QUEEN, WE DEMAND ENTRY."

"Alice." He looks at me briefly and looked back to Bunny. "They must know she's he-"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, IN THE NAME OF THE WHITE QUEEN, WE DEMAND ENTRY."

"One moment please!" He shouted toward the door. In a hushed voice, he spoke to Bunny. "Take her to your room and keep her there." He stood up and pulled me up with him. "Alice, I need you to listen to Bunny and stay in her room." He looked at me worriedly and then gave me over to Bunny.

"Come along Alice." She pulled me along down a short hallway into her room. From here both Bunny and I could hear a loud conversation between Hatta and the members of the White Army.

"Please do come in gentleman! So sorry about the…wait." Bunny looked towards her closed bedroom door.

"Oh no…"

"Oh no, what?" Bunny looked towards me and then pushed me into a small closet on the far side of her room.

"Alice, please, stay here. And no matter what you hear, do not come out."

"But-" I heard a lock and from the slammed door I assumed she left the room. From there, I could catch bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Why Sir Blanc!...Very kind of you!"

 _Sir Blanc?_

"Oh no!...Couldn't possibly!" She sounded a bit nervous.

"No she could not!" Rightfully so. Hatta sounded as if he was restraining himself.

"Oh I do disagree with that, Hatter!" A crash.

"Hatta!" I pressed my ear up against the wall to see if I could hear anything clearer.

"Worry not about him my dear." Thankfully, the walls were thin. "I suppose he's come out of worse. Haven't you?"

"I suppose I have." Hatta's voice was forced and breathy.

"But now that we have gotten past the pleasantries. Now we should get down to business."

"Now really Sir Blanc, any business needing to be taken care of can be discussed without him being here. He needs to be put to bed-"

"Now really my dear, I've said before, no need to call me Sir Blanc. Richard if you please. And I agree…The best thing for our red friend here would be to put him to sleep."

 _What a cruel man…He must be the one Hatta was battling in the town._

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" A forced chuckle and a cough.

"Quite. But that isn't the reason for my little visit…"

"Oh? Then why?"

"…A little birdy told me that a very important person might be in this house."

"Oh? And what person might that be?"

"Why, Alice of course!"

 _Oh no…me? What does he want with me?_

"Alice?" Another chuckle. "What makes you think that she's here?"

"That little bird I spoke of earlier…He told me that he'd seen her escorting you out of town, and into the forest. Naturally I assumed the girl he said was escorting you was the same that had…prematurely ended our battle…And temporarily suspended your fate at the end of my sword, was the same girl. Therefore, I come to the conclusion that she is here…and I want her."

"Why?" Bunny asked worriedly. "What good is she to you?"

 _What good am I? Perhaps if I were in a different situation, I might be insulted._

"My dear lady, to bring Alice to the White queen would be a triumph in a seemingly never ending war!"

"But-"

"Now I'll have no more interference my love, simply take me to the girl and-"

"Keep your hands off of her you-ack!" His sentence was cut short.

"Is this any better Red Hatter?!"

"Sir Blanc! Stop!" Hatta's strangled breaths could be heard through the wall. "He can't breath!"

 _He's choking him!_

"Oh really my-?"

"Richard, stop!" The sounds of fist hitting armor could be heard through the wall.

"Achk-!" There was a thump on the wall and the floor shook.

"Hatta!" A groan was all she received in response. "Look what you've done!"

"My dear, I hadn't meant to upset you."

"Get out! She isn't here!" She was crying now. "Get out, I'll have your head for this!"

"As you wish madam…Until our next meeting…Hatter." The clanking of armor war followed by the slamming of a door.

"Oh Hatta…" She sounded as if she was still crying.

"Now, now…" He coughed. "No tears Bunny…" His voice was horse and tired. "You ought to get Alice out of you room now…It's safe enough." He tried to clear his throat.

"Safe…with that Sir Blanc still walking around, no one is safe." Her voice became soft and soon I heard footsteps in the room and the closet door opened. "Alice…are you alright?" With her eyes red and shaky voice, it seemed that I was in better shape than she was.

"Yes, I'm alright Bunny." I slowly moved out of the closet. "Are you?" She sniffed and shrugged.

"I'm alright. Hatta is in worse shape than me." With that she darted out of the room and went to Hatta's side. And he was still currently on the floor. "Hatta are you alright?"

"I..I'm alright. I've been both worse and better." He tried to give off a chuckle, but dissolved into a fit of coughing.

"Oh!" She began to cry again. "Hatta, this is ridiculous! This is the second time today!"

"I know, calm down." He said tiredly. "Look, It'll all be alright. A cup of tea and I'll be right as rain." He coughed again and slid up the wall into a standing position. "Come on now, no tears…help me to the bed." He put a hand around her shoulder and he leaned on her for support.

"Alice, be a dear and give us a hand?" She sniffled and nodded towards his other arm. Silently, I slipped my arm around his waist and put his arm around my neck. "Thank you. Back to the room we go." Slowly we made our way past the room I had occupied minutes before and we made our way to his room. Upon entry, we laid him down on the bed and covered him up with a blanket. As Bunny got him settled, I took a look at the room of the man I called "mad" as a child. The room itself was simply laid. A bed, chest and mirror stood on opposite sides of the wall and the closet was hidden on the other. On top of the simple furniture, however, was an assortment of buttons, threads, fabrics, thimbles and other various hat making tools.

 _I suppose when he wasn't drinking tea, he was making hats…_

"Where does your mind wonder Alice?" His voice was still horse, but he seemed a bit better for conversation.

"Nowhere in particular. Just looking about your room." He nodded and let his arm fall over his eyes.

"I'll have to go get your tonic now…" Bunny lifted his arm so she could look at his face. "Don't move too much…alright?"

"Alright…" He said quietly. She gently put his arm back, and turned to me.

"Alice," She whispered. "Do me a favor and keep him awake for me?" I nod and watch as she leaves. I looked at the man lying on the bed. He was bruised, broken, and most of all, tired.

"Poor thing." I said mostly to myself.

"Poor thing?" A weak chuckle came from the man on the bed. "Well now I hope you aren't talking about me Alice."

"And what if I am?" I smiled kindly at him. He moved his arm from his eyes and looked back at me with a familiar brightness.

"Are you?"

"Maybe." He smirked and squinted at me.

"You know…Your hair still needs cutting." And I in turn wagged a finger at him, just as I had done so many years ago.

"And you still need to learn not to make personal remarks." He snickered and waved me off, grimacing slightly at the movement of his arm. I could feel my smile fall slightly at his discomfort and it was enough to make him sigh in return.

"Alice I…" He tried to sit up in the bed but fell back with a groan. I rushed over to him.

"Hatta, Bunny said that you shouldn't move." I sat on the bed next to him.

"I know, but you can hardly stop a spinning top from spinning, can you?" He smiled up at me coyly and quirked a brow.

"You can, if you knock it over." I shook my head at him good naturedly. "And you, my dear spinning top, have been knocked over." He sighed through his nose and looked up at me.

"You're no better than Bunny you know." He was about to put his arm back over his eyes when she walked back into the room.

"What was that about me Hatta?" She was carrying a tray with a tea pot, tea cup, and a clear green bottle.

"Oh nothing at all Bunny." He tried to sit up again put was pushed back to the bed.

"Mm-hmm. Didn't I tell you not to move?" She shook her head at him smiling. "You're only going to make more trouble for yourself you know."

"As I have been told by our young friend here." He gestured towards me with an open hand.

"Then she is a wise young woman then. Whose advice should be taken to heart." She winked at me and moved to sit on the other side of the bed with the green bottle and a cup. "Alright now… Alice, would you help him lean up against the head board, please?"

"Of course." He started to push himself up and I slipped my hands around his arms to assist him.

"Thank you Alice dear." He grunted as he leaned back against the headboard. Bunny looked at him sadly as he grunted, displeased with his pain.

"H-hatta I…" She stuttered as she poured the strong smelling liquid into the cup. "I-I don't know how much th-this will…will hurt I-"

"Hurt?" I interjected, confused. "What do you mean hurt?" She looked at me timidly and then down to the bed. Sighing, he slowly moved his hand to cover her shaking ones.

"It's the tonic Alice. It heals bone faster than setting the bone does. A-and Bunny thinks what with the difficulty I have breathing…She thinks that I might have received a broken rib-" The end of his sentence was strangled as he took too deep a breath. "Or maybe two."

"H-hatta, s-stop-"

"Hush now…" He shut his eyes for a moment and breathed slowly. "The pain will go away faster…If I drink it quick enough" He looked at Bunny through one eye. "Isn't that right love?" Slightly teary eyes, she gave him the cup. "Thank you love." Slowly he sipped on the cup till it was empty and then handed it back to Bunny. "Help me back down, Alice?" I took him by the elbow and helped to lay him back down. All of a sudden he gasped and grabbed onto my wrist.

"Hatta?!" His grip tightened on my arm and he groaned, grabbing a fistful blanket.

"S-sorry." His voice was strained and it sounded like he was trying hard to keep himself composed. He slowly eased up on my wrist and I eventually was able to pry it loose, leaving him to latch onto the blanket again.

"Hatta, here…" She removed one of his hands from the bed and wrapped her own around it. "Hold onto me Hatta…Come on…" Sweating and shaking he moved both hands to hers and grunted, the muscles in his arms and neck tensed, his brow furrowed and his breathing became harsh and shallow. I took it upon myself to take one his hands from Bunny.

"Go on Hatta…It's alright…" I could hear a whimper escape his lips as his grip tightened onto our hands.

"A-ah…" He groaned and pressed back into the bed. "S-sorry…" Bunny wiped away his hair, now soaked with sweat, away from his forehead.

"D-don't be sorry dear." She grimaced at the grip on her hand. "I-it isn't your fault."

"It is!" He growled and beat his head against the bed. "It is my fault!"

"What is he talking about?!" I couldn't take it any longer. I had to know what had been going on since I had been gone.

"Why we're on two different sides!" Her eyes were teary again. "B-but it wasn't his-!"

"Stop saying that!" His eyes opened wide and were bloodshot. "If I hadn't tried to-Ahh!" He shouted and dug his heels into the bed.

"Hadn't tried to what?" I asked hurriedly.

"Alice please!" Tears were falling down her face.

"If I hadn't gone to time!" He screamed in pain and then passed out, his grip on Bunny's hand and mine loosening instantly. Bunny stood up from the bed with a hand over her mouth, sobbing.

"Bunny?" I stood up and draped the blanket back over him. "Bunny?" I walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "What did he mean when he said that he hadn't gone in time?"

"N-not in time, Alice." She sniffled. "To Time. Surely he told you about his relationship with Time when you were last here."

"I, I don't remember…" She turned to look at me, red eyed and sniffling.

"Well…come on." She looked back to Hatta, resting peacefully. "He'll be alright now…I'm going to going to make some lunch…" She looked back towards me. "W-would you like to help me?"

"Yes." I said softly. She looked like a small child, so sweet and innocent. I was almost afraid to answer her, for fear that she might start crying again.

"Then lets…" She took a step around and began to move out of the room, but not before she took one more look at him.

"He'll be alright?...Won't he?" I asked carefully, not wanting to upset her.

"Yes…" She nods and sighed tiredly. "He will…" Then she looks back at me, smiling a bit. "Let's make lunch." As I followed her into the kitchen, I couldn't help but wonder where she came from, and how she played into all this.

 _And especially how she came to fall in love with the Mad Hatter._


	4. A Battle in Town

Chapter four! HErre you go! Plz comment! Another chapter done and another chapter up!

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"I-in love with him?" She hid a light blush as she turned with her back towards me. "W-what ever d-do you mean?"

"It's quite obvious Bunny." I shook my head good naturedly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It isn't anything to be ashamed o-."

"No that isn't it Alice." She quickly turned back around and looked back towards the floor. "I'm not ashamed of it…I that I…" She sighed and walked toward an open cupboard and took out three tea cups and a clean tea pot. "Alice…If I…If I told you something…Would you keep it a secret for me?" She shut the cupboard and walked towards me hesitantly. "Y-you wouldn't tell anyone…would you, Alice?"

"No…of course not."

 _Depending on what you tell me that is…_

"Tell me what you want to say Bunny…" It took a few moments, but eventually she exploded in a frenzy in emotion. Looking as if she wanted to laugh, cry, shout, dance, and collapse to the floor all at the same time.

"I Love him!" She jumped up and down around the kitchen. "I love him! I love him! I love him!" She took me by the hands and continued to jump, dragging me around the kitchen. "I love him more than anything!"

"I-I know Bunny!" I couldn't help but laugh at the scene. But then suddenly, she stopped jumping.

"Oh but that's the thing! You shouldn't know!" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "You aren't supposed to know."

"Oh…" I responded quietly. "Then…then why have you told me?" She bit her lip for a moment and then moved to put water in the kettle and set in on the stove. "Come with me a moment?" She gestured towards the door on the far side of the room, opened the door, and gestured towards me again. "Come along then." I walked toward her slowly and looked through the door.

"What-." She held a finger up to her lips and shook her head.

"Shhh…" Then she smiled and a lantern appeared in her hand.

 _It seems there is still a bit of magic left in Wonderland._

She stuck her arm into the space behind the door and revealed a flight of stairs. She mouthed the words, _'Follow me.'_ And she began to trek down the stairs. Silently I followed her.

Eventually we arrived in a small room filled with various weapons and shields, small pouches and sacks, and a large desk sat in the middle of the room. In the corner sat a small writing desk and stacks of paper. On the large table, was a map of all of Wonderland, marked with small red x's , small white circles, and small black squares.

"That is the map of the Great War." She sat the lamp down on the table.

"The Great War…The war going on between the Red and White armies?" She nodded.

"But it isn't just between the Red and White armies." She walked over to the other side of the room where a long grey curtain fell over the wall.

"What do you mean?" She looked at me solemnly and moved the curtain away to show an even larger map, showing those partaking in the war.

"I mean it's not just all of Wonderland, it's Looking Glass land too." I moved closer to the map.

"You mean…they were two different places?"

"Well…not exactly..." Look looked back towards the map and pointed to a disfigured line running through it. "You see this line here?" I nodded. "It used to be the dividing line between Looking Glass Land and Wonderland. But both of them exist at different points in time…Or they used to…"

"Used to…what do you mean used to?" She moved away from the wall and moved to the table.

"Come look and see." She nodded towards the maps and pointed at it again as I walked back. "This is the newest map available…" I looked at the map, but there was something missing.

"Where's the dividing line?" She shook he head.

"There is no dividing line. It's almost as if it's been dissolved." She leaned on the table and sighed heavily. "Everything has melded together…And I do mean everything. Including the Royal Suits."

"What do you mean?" I looked at her and she nodded back to the curtain.

"The Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs. They're all here…and they've all split."

"Split? You mean they've taken sides?" She nodded and sighed heavily.

"Yes quite so…The Heart and Diamond suits have taken the sides of the White Army and the Spades and the Clubs the Red Army."

"So... Then…I you don't mind me asking…What part do you play in this?" She rubbed her hands together and walked towards the wall with the pouches hanging on it.

"I am a part of the White Army…I am a healer. A person who…Well, heals." She took one of the pouches and brought it over to the table. "It's how I got mixed up with all of this in the first place."

"All of what Bunny? What is going on here?" She shrugged and went through her pouch.

"No one knows…One day the fight began, between the Lion and the Unicorn as usual…and then-."

"The Lion and the Unicorn?" She nodded.

"Not that them being in a battle would be anything out of the ordinary. They'd do it every day at the same time. So it wasn't unexpected…Except…"

"Except…except what?"

"They were wearing uniforms…"

"Uniforms? But why on earth would they be wearing uniforms." She shrugged and drummed on the table with the pads of her fingers.

"Nobody knows, and at the time no one cared. It was the only thing that was unusual about the whole scuffle." She stood up straight with the bag and pulled out a small vile. "Well…not the only thing…"

"What else was there Bunny?" I asked curiously. She bit her lip and then looked down to the vile in her hand, and then back up to me.

"I…I'm going to show you something very special Alice…And you must give me your word that you will never tell anyone about what you've just seen and of what you're about to see. Will you give it to me? Will you give me your word Alice?" She looked at me very solemnly and took my hand.

"Of course Bunny." I answered. She nodded a gave a small smile before heaving a heavy sigh.

"I'm going to show you what I saw that day," She flipped my hand palm up and placed it down on the table. "What everyone saw that day." She popped the cork out of the vile and placed a few drops on her open palm.

"How? With whatever that is?" I pointed to the liquid on her hands and she nodded.

"I call it Memoir." Then she put a few drops in the palm of my hand.

"Memoir?" She nodded and then closed her eyes and began to hum. The tune was familiar and I couldn't help but hum along. She opened one eye and smiled, and we continued to hum.

 _Hmm hmm hmm Hmm hmm hmm Hmm hmm hmm Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm… No…the words are…_

 _No…the words are…_

 _The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown_

 _The lion beat the unicorn all around the town._

 _Some gave them white bread, and some gave them brown;_

 _Some gave them plum cake and drummed them out of-_

All at once I felt myself being swept away from the room at the bottom of the Hatter's home and to a different place entirely.

"We're here." Bunny's voice echoed.

 _But where is here…?_


	5. The Lion and the Unicorn

Special update because it was asked of me in the comments by my first reviewer to update more! Enjoy!

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"This is the battle Alice…"

All around us were various townsfolk, all in the center of the town. Buzzing about in small groups, talking loudly about what was to take place.

"What do you-?" As I was about to ask what she meant by "the battle", one of the townspeople walked through me. Needless to say, I was shocked. "H-How?"

"We are here…In memory!" She tapped the side of her head and smiled. "This is the way I…remember things. Like a moving picture book." She stopped speaking and pointed across the way. "Here they come." I turned to look where she was pointing.

"Oh my…" There arrived the Unicorn wearing a full suit of armor, shining and spectacular. And coming from the other end, was the Lion, clad in heavy red leather, ready to fight what looked like the battle of the century.

"They look rather intimidating don't they?" Bunny said. "Come on, let's get a closer look." She walked to were the both of them stood one in front of the other, growling and threatening each other. She looked back at me as she walked and gestured with an arm. "Come on! You can't see from all the way back there!" She planted her feet in-between the two imposing figures and waited for me to join her.

"Coming!" She nodded and made busied herself looking at the small details of their uniforms. As I got closer and smiled and me and pointed to a small insignia on the right arm of the Lion's uniform.

"Look. See? The same as Hatta's! The only difference being this on has more of a crest look to it, and all of the red soldiers just have a lion's head." She turned and pointed towards the Unicorn. "The same for his. All white soldiers have the Unicorn head on their armor."

"Now, are we to stand here all day, or are we to fight?!" Said the Unicorn, with his horn shining brightly in the noon-day sun.

"I think it would be best if we moved out of the way." Bunny nodded towards the Unicorn and took a few steps back. I mimicked her and did the same.

"Ah! Then let us fight!" From a hidden sheath beneath his jacket, he drew out a short sword.

"A sword?!" I was astonished. "He didn't use a sword before!" And the Lion swung with his sword, denting the Unicorn's armor.

"Mind you don't get run into!" Bunny appeared behind me and pulled me out of the way of the Unicorn's thrust with his horn. "We might not be here really, but too many bumps will send us back for sure!" She watched as the two continued to trade hits with each other. "This was the first time anyone had seen with armor and weapons, but I would not be the last."

"Does anyone know they came from?" She nodded, and then shook her head, and then shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes and no." She looked to me and then quickly back to the fight. "The original armor and weapons simply appeared, or that's how the Unicorn says it anyhow. Neither of their stories have been confirmed to be true." She grimaced as the Lion landed a strike, catching the underside of the other's armor. "The newest of the White Army's weapons and armor have been supplied by the White Queen and King, the King and Queen of Diamonds, and the King and Queen of Hearts."

"Did you say the King and Queen of Hearts?" She nodded and looked at me again.

"But I've told you this already." She shook her head quickly, as if shaking off a bad memory. "The fact of the-."

"But you mean they're active participants in the war? I thought you meant in from a…p-political standpoint!" _For lack of a better phrase._ She shook her head solemnly.

"No. But perhaps Hatta can explain it better than I can." She began to walk into the forest away from the battle.

"Bunny!" I shouted after her.

"Yes Alice?!" She stopped and looked at me cheerfully, giving me the opportunity to catch up with her.

"May I ask you a question?" She nodded smiling brightly.

"Of course! No need to ask! Let's just sit a minute while I put this little door together." We walked for a few moments before finding two tree stumps in the middle of a clearing in the forest. "Here we are!" She sat herself down and from her little pouch, drew two small vials, and a small wooden plank. I sat down across from her and watched her as she fiddled with her things.

"Bunny…where did you come from?" She hesitated in her movements for a moment before looking up shyly.

"Alice…I…I-if I told you about where I came from…You might think…" She hesitated, grimacing slightly after a sigh and shrug of her shoulders. "You might think a little bit less of me."

"Less of you? What do you mean less of you?" She looked down at her hands as mixed together the two vials.

"Well… You… You seem to be a well-to-do young woman. Brought up well and proper…" She looked up and sniffed. "I can't say the same for myself…" She paused for a moment, before standing up from the stump. "I was…well, in no uncertain terms, homeless. Poor… Quite a wretch actually." She spoke about it as if she were telling me the time of day.

"A wretch! I can't believe that!" She turned and looked at me smiling.

"Well, I'm afraid you must. You see… I was a jack of all trades, I suppose you might say. Did what I had to survive."

"And that makes you a wretch?" I asked confused. "I don't understand."

"You will in a while." At that moment, she leaned the wooden board against the stump. "I can only say this for right now…I will do anything to get my way…" She turned to look at me with hidden emotion. "And I do mean anything…" She handed me the vial. "Drink up, please!" Slightly taken aback from the previous statement, I looked at the vial with some hesitation. "Don't worry, I haven't poisoned it or anything." I took a small sip. "That isn't my job." I nearly choked. Smiling sweetly, she patted my back. "Go on now, we don't want you losing any parts on the way back!"

"Any parts?" I drank slowly from the vial, hoping that it wouldn't cause my death.

"People have been known to loose fingers and toes while walking through." And in the blink of an eye, the wooden board grew to the size of a large door and it swung open to reveal a long dark hall.

"While walking-?" I wasted no time in finishing my thought and tossed back what was left in the bottle.

"Well when I say walking…" She took a coin from a pocket and then flicked it in the direction of the door. Said door…sucked in up, causing said coin to disappear. "I mean being sucked into a vortex. But you know, same difference. One is just a bit faster. Ready to go?" She took hold of my arm and leaped head first into the hall.

All at once it felt I was being folded, stretched, crumpled, rolled, boxed, and twisted through a small hole. All the while being burned, drowned, and ironed out. And then-!

"Alice? Alice, you can open your eyes now!" The voice came from above my head and echoed a bit. "Alice?" A pair of soft hands slowly moved my hands from my eyes.

"She must be a bit dizzy! I know I was after the first time we came back!" _Hatta?_

"Hatta!" I opened my eyes widely at the man, now standing before her. Or rather, the men, standing before her. Then again, it might have been the fact that she was very dizzy.

"Hullo! No need to shout, I'm not but a few paces in front of you!" He chuckled, grinning widely at the expression on my face no doubt. I must have looked rather like a fish, eyes wide and mouth gaping as I looked up at him in surprise. "Well Alice? Aren't you going to greet me properly? I dare say we haven't gotten the chance!" He stood up straight, arms open wide. "Well?" And without a moment's thought, I leapt up off the ground and into the waiting arms of the Mad Hatter. And for that singular moment, it felt as if I were a child again. It felt like there wasn't a thing wrong in the world, and everything was the way it should be. His arms were strong and warm and welcoming. A pleasant change from the current surroundings. He sighed. "And know that we've done that…" He let go of me and held me at arm's length to look me in the eyes. "There are somethings, I think, that you really must know."

"Oh? And…what would that be?" At this moment, I learned three very important things.

"Our world, Alice, is in a state of war unlike any other in Wonderland's _or_ Looking Glass Land's history." _One._

"Time is running backwards, forwards, sideways, longways, and all ways, and he is no one's friend." _Two._

"And I will..." He paused and looked to Bunny, and then looked back to me. "I will soon be…" He paused and sighed heavily.

"Hatta, what… What is it?"

"I… I will not survive the final battle." _Three._

"You…you what?" He sighed heavily. "What are you talking about Hatter?"

"I, my… There's a prophecy and it states…or…" He ran a shaky hand through his hair, I'm just now noticing slightly grey at the temples. "I will not…survive the final battle." The looked at me solemnly and turned away. "For some reason, Time decided to let on a part of my future which he deemed helpful. Or, at least I think that's why he told me." He turned back around, grimacing slightly. "The details of my death, however, are still quite unknown-."

"So then…You're going to…die." I felt a chill travel down my spine at the word. "And you have no say in the matter? None at all?" He shook his head sadly and took both my hands.

"Now Alice, you must understand why I told you this-."

"So that I can change it of course!" I said more than a bit upset. He shook his head furiously.

"No! No, Alice! That's precisely why I told you! There is nothing you can do. There is nothing _to_ do…" He ran his hand through his hair and sighed again. It was becoming a repeated motion… "What's said has been said, and there is no way that I can be changed."

"That isn't true." Bunny spoke from behind me. "Tell her Hatta."

"Bunny, that was different. It didn't change anything. It just-."

"What are you talking about?!" Bunny shook her head and sighed frustrated.

"He was supposed to have died his very first battle-"

"Bunny!" He left his position in front of me and went to go stand in front of Bunny. "Please…" She looked up at him and continued to speak.

"The first battle began not to long after my arrival to Wonderland… Time said that his first battle would be his last. He's a Hatter of course, as a knight there would be some things that he would not know how to do… Sword fighting for example. That was of course true… The second he picked up a sword, he was taken down by the White Queen's personal knight." She looked at me. "You might have seen him earlier. Hatta usually ends up battling him more than any other knight." She looked back to him. "Shall I continue?" He stared at he for a moment and then turned away, slowly moving back towards the main room to the couch where he lay bleeding only a little while ago. Or perhaps it had been longer, for the moon was clear and bright as it shined in the middle of the window leading back to the sitting room.

"No way I can persuade you to stop talking?" It was more a statement than it was a question.

"Of course not." He waved in our direction as an answer and sighed, holding his head in his hands. "Me falling into Wonderland changed his fate Alice."

"So…it can change!"

"With a price!" He shouted as he stood up from his seat. "With…a price… A steep one at that…"

"What price?" I looked at the both of them carefully. "Bunny?"

"Well…Bunny… Aren't you going to tell her?" Hatta came to stand beside me as he spoke.

"Tell me what?" She looked down to the ground and cleared her throat before continuing to speak.

"I… I can never go home Alice."

"What?"

"…I can never go home."

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Leave a comment if you like! TTFN!


	6. Kea Tettle

_Special update because a very kind guest keeps on asking for updates! Will be the last one for a few weeks as I am in college and finals are coming up! Please do feel free to leave comments and such! Please enjoy!_

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 _"I should have known you'd be trouble in the end for me Hatta! I should have taken your head the last time I had the chance!"_

 _"Nonsense! You'll do no such thing! He is such a dear friend!"_

 _"A dear friend is he? Then why is he a knight for your sister's army?!"_

 _"If I may-."_

 _"No you may not! If anything, you ought to be grateful that I have done anything drastic…yet!" The Queen of Hearts stamped her foot dramatically and proceeded to sit in her throne._

 _"Yet? What do you mean yet?" A nervous Hatta looked towards the angered queen and the more worried queen clad in white standing next to her. "What does she mean y-?" He was interrupted by the slamming of the palace of the doors behind him._

 _"Yes! Yet! Here is your something drastic!" And through the large doors came two White knights and between them was-._

 _"Bernice!" Scared and struggling against the grip of the soldiers, Bernice was dragged to the throne of the Queen of Hearts._

 _"Hatta!"_

 _"Silence!" The queen brought down her scepter hard, a loud harsh sound echoing throughout the room. "Sir Knight." He attention was focused on Hatta. "Say hello to my new chief healer!"_

 _"What?"_

 _"I didn't say, say what. I said say hello!" As she spoke, she sent the knights away, leaving Bernice sitting in the floor next to her._

 _"Why?" Hatta walked slowly toward the three women. "Why her?"_

 _"Because…" The White Queen began. "My sister has you… So… We have her. It's only fair!" She explained._

 _"But she isn't even from here! Why not someone else-!?"_

 _"Why are you so concerned?!"_

"I had every right to be, I now know that much…"

 _"Why does it matter whether I am concerned or not?!" From where she was, Bunny could see that he was becoming very upset… So she stepped in._

 _"Hatta." She stood up from where she was and walked toward him. "It's alright. I'll be a healer, that's all."_

 _"Of course it'll be alright! Because I say it will be alright, I will be alright! Now come here at once Bernice-!" Shouted the Queen._

 _"If it may please your majesty, Bunny is the name I most commonly answer to." She turned and bowed lowly to the angered woman._

 _"Mmm, it is a far more attractive name anyway. Fine. Bunny come here and once!" And she did just that, and soon after, the White Queen took her gently by the hand and led her out of the room. "And you Hatta. I urge you to do your best to stay as far away from here as possible."_

 _"B-but you brought me here!" As he shouted, she shot up from her seat._

 _"So you could see with your own eyes what is to come! BLANC!" In through the same large door strolled in another white knight, this one, however, highly decorated._

 _"Yes my Queen?" He bowed lowly at the waist and then grinned brightly. "How may I be of service?"_

 _"Do you see this man?" She pointed her scepter at Hatta._

 _"Yes my Queen." He nodded._

 _"Next time you see him… Take of his head." She said the last part in a whisper, but from the look of pure delight on Sir Blanc's face, it was clear that she had spoken loudly enough._

 _"Yes my Queen." He turned towards Hatta. "'Tis a shame really that we have met under such circumstances." As he said this, he continued to smile._

 _"Yes…A shame. I hope I don't see you again any time soon." And as Hatta offered one last sneer to the Queen and headed out of the room, he heard this._

 _"I'm afraid I must disagree with you, for nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing you without a head."_

"So… I'm afraid I still don't understand. How does all of this come up to you not being able to go home…And you to die?" Alice sat in the tea room of the former Hatter, nursing a cup of lukewarm tea, trying to make heads and tails of the situation.

"Well, first things first. If I had gotten any more upset with the queen, she would have ordered Blanc to come into the room and take my head without a moment's thought." He shook his head and absentmindedly adjusted the collar of his shirt. "Furthermore… That would have been my first…and last battle."

"But how does that keep you from going home?" Alice was becoming slowly frustrated with asking the same questions over and over again.

"If I left, then Hatta would be left without a buffer! The only reason that Blanc has never really done any real damage to Hatta is because he knows it would upset me terribly." She took a sip from her tea cup, not realizing that it had been empty for the past 10 minutes. "Oh…" She looked sadly down at the cup before noticing Hatta chuckling weakly at her.

"Yes, well it seems that I am not the only one in here who is taken with her charm, or lack thereof perhaps." She shook her head and pouted playfully.

"Oh hush, I'm getting more tea." She stood up out of the room and went for the kettle in the kitchen. _Although,_ thought Alice, _perhaps she has ought to have just brought the pot with her in the first place…_

"She would have if she had a reason to." Alice turned to look at him surprised.

"She what?"

"Bunny. She left the kettle because she always hates hearing what I am about to say." He looked past Alice's shoulder and then continued quietly. "Blanc would have her now if I weren't he having certain feelings for me already."

"What?" She shook her head confused. "I don't understand, I thought that if she weren't here, that he would have killed you already. Do you mean to say-?"

"I mean to say," He held up a single finger. "If I weren't here for Bunny to have feelings for, then she would have no choice but to be with Blanc. And not by her decision either. You will soon learn that Blanc will often take what he wants, and with that way of thinking comes a mean temper. Even if I weren't here, and Bunny had no feelings for him, which she says she never will-."

"I won't!" An agreeable shout came from the kitchen. Hatta chuckles and shakes his head.

"As she says, she won't, but Blanc would have her anyway. You see?" Alice nodded slowly.

"I do. Rather a terrible cycle to be caught up in isn't it?"

"I should say so." He looked out of the room, past her shoulders. "Bunny?! Have you got your tea?!"

No answer…

"Bunny?!"

Still no answer…

"Bunny! Remember what we said about nodding long distances?!" He said smiling widely. "I can't hear that far!"

"OH! I have my tea!"

"Yes well, the conversation is all well and done now! You can come back!" He continued to smile as he took a sip from his cup of now very cold tea. Through the door came Bunny with the kettle of tea.

"I brought more if yours is cold Hatta!" She sat down and placed the kettle in the table before motioning to Alice with her cup. "Would you like more tea?"

"No thank you." She said kindly. "I think I've had just about as much as I can handle today." She nodded at the statement.

"I understand. After one day, you've probably seen more than you were prepared to." Alice nodded in agreement.

"Bunny? You work alongside the White Queen and the Queen of Hearts?" It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes, I'm her personal healer. The Queen of Hearts I mean."

"Hmmph." Said Hatta as he took a sip of the tea.

"Hatta…" She looked at him with a raised brow and a half smirk. "She isn't all that bad."

"No of course not…" He drained his cup and looked into it wistfully. "She's even worse.

She rolled her eyes and sipped at her tea as she poured more tea into Hatta's cup. "I act more of a hand maid for The White Queen though. She always seems to be needing help with something. And since her sister isn't with her like she used to, I suppose I'm kind of like a replacement."

"Of course she needs as much help as she can get."

"Hatta!" She smacked him on the shoulder.

"What?! It's not as if she isn't kind, she just isn't known for her intellectual prowess." He shrugged his shoulders in defense.

"So then, is that the only reason that you can't go home?" Alice looked toward Bunny.

"Well, that's the least complicated reason anyhow. Anything more I could tell you probably wouldn't be of much use to you. Not that you couldn't understand, but it's just be simpler all around if it wasn't talked about." And with that, Alice nodded and resigned to ask about it again the next day.

"Well then Miss Alice, I presume that you'll want a place to rest after such a trying day?"

"Yes," She yawned. "I dare say I do. But I won't have either of you being put o-."

"Nonsense." Said both at the same time.

"You gone through just as much as the both of us today." Said Hatta.

"Probably more than I have today!" Added Bunny.

"Alice, you'll sleep in my room tonight and I'-." Bunny slapped a hand over his mouth.

"You'll do no such thing. Alice, you'll sleep in my room tonight. And you," Her attention was back on the Hatter turned knight. "Will be resting quite nicely in your bed and I'll be on the seatee." He looked at her pointedly as if to say, _"Oh really?"._

"Are you sure Bunny?" Alice said attempting to stifle her giggle at the look Hatta was giving off. "I'd hate to leave you uncomfortable."

"Oh no! No worries!" She removed her hand from his mouth as she waved off Alice's concern.

"Though…Wouldn't be easier if the two of you were to just share a bed for the night?" As Alice spoke, Bunny began to blush and Hatta's mouth hung open like a fish out of water.

"U-uh…Bunny, why don't y-you take Alice to rour yoom, I-I mean your room and I'll get the kea tettle, I-I mean tea kettle." He stood up and nervously began picking up the various dishes and said tettle, I mean, kettle. And at the same time, Bunny practically gathered Alice into her arms and began to lead her out of the room.

"Brilliant idea! It's just this way Alice, you remember the way of course!" She nearly dragged her to the room.

"Bunny! What on earth?!" Alice shouted as Bunny plopped her down on her bed. "What is going on?!" Bunny continued to blush as she sat down on the bed next to her. "Bunny what on earth is the problem?"

"… Alice…" She looked down to her hands and said quietly, "I…we've never…"

"Oh!" Alice began to understand a bit better what happened a few moments ago. "You two have never-."

"No… No we haven't…" And she decided to end the conversation there. "Anyhow. I hope my dragging you away didn't hurt you. I've been told I have a grip." She stood up from the bed and went to stand up in front of Alice.

"No, not at all." Alice, went on to make a small show of checking her arms and hands over, showing no sign of physical injury. "I'm completely fine."

"Oh good." She sighs half smiling. "I know today has been a really trying day for you." She walked over to the door and looked once more towards Alice. "Is there anything else you need?" Alice shook her head.

"No, I'm fine Bunny. Really…I'll be alright." Bunny nodded once more before closing the door, leaving Alice with her thoughts. _For tonight at least…I should be just fine_

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A bit shorter than usual, but! Longer chapter already written and on the way to being posted! I try to write a new chapter before I post a previous one. TTFN!


	7. Tired, Grey, and Sore

Hallo! Sorry about the spaces between updating! Been a bit since i could sit down and properly type! Here's a smaller in between chapter for you all!

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As she shut the door, she let out a slow sigh of relief. Talking about any kind of relation, personal or otherwise, with anyone, made her uncomfortable, and this one was no different. She let her eyes shut a moment and took a few deep breaths preparing to walk back into the kitchen, probably come face to face with Hatta and talk about the current situation.

On the other side of the door, Alice was preoccupied with her own thoughts.

 _Today has been a day… It's a long time since so many things happened at once… Of course this would only happen after I arrived back here once again… And I still don't know how that happened… Maybe this is all a dream… Queer dream…_

Bunny walked into the kitchen to find Hatta rinsing out the cups and kettle, not washing them, but just letting the water run over them so they would be easier to clean in the morning. He didn't hear her come in so he continued to rise the dishes until they were all set up for washing the next day. She watched him as he did so, noticing how every once in a while he would stare into empty space for a while, his hands would pause mid movement, and he'd sigh through his nose until he would shake himself out of it and continue on with the next dish.

 _If it were a dream, then I should have seen Bunny before… But I hardly remember meeting anyone like her before… And if it were a dream, Hatta would not have changed so much… Or would he?_

Minutes, that seemed like hours, passed as he set up the last of the dishes. And with the last cup, he sighed, knowing that the moment of peace would pass and be replaced with something far more dangerous than a slippery butter knife. He shook his head once to himself before turning around to see Bunny sitting at the table watching him intently. "Hello Bunny… Been here long?"

 _He used to be so much more…playful. Now it seems he hardly laughs at all… Some of his laugh lines are missing, though he looks years and years older…_

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "No idea, probably not as long as you have. I only started watching you a few moments ago." He nodded.

 _Of course, maybe I just didn't notice when I was young… One could hardly imagine looking at his temples without noticing the change in color… And he seems much more…tired now…_

"Ah… Am I entertaining?" He raised an eyebrow in anticipation. She smiled and nodded, not offering a verbal answer.

 _And perhaps more… grown-up? That doesn't feel like the right phrase to use…_

He looked down to his shoes before looking back up to her. "Did you…" He sighed through his nose again. "Did you explain?" She shook her head.

"Not really. I feel as if too much has gone on today as is. No need to add something else to the heap…"

 _Sadder maybe… Sadder is a better word... That's what he looked like leaning up against that tree…_

He took a seat at the table next to her and placed his head upon it as he looked up at her. "It is a very large heap. It takes a very long time to climb." She nods in agreement.

 _This can't be a dream… he'd never be so sad in any dream of mine… Not the ridiculous Mad Hatter with his too-bright smile and his terrible riddles…_

"And it hurts when you fall trying to get to the top." She looked down to his head on the table and ran her fingers through his hair. His curls were dark and unruly, and she nearly spent more time untangling his knots rather than running her fingers through the large mop.

 _Terrible…that's a word to use. Terrible… that's what today has been... It describes the hall of doors… The battle in town…_

"And she's going to have to climb all the way to the top…" Hatta closed his eyes and sighed once more, relaxing under her touch.

"But why is she here?" Bunny asked worriedly. "How did she get here? She didn't mention anything about knowing to travel back and forth…"

 _Hatta's wound… Poor Hatta… For his sake I wish it were a dream... And if it were I would know how I came to be here again…_

He took his head up from the table and placed her hand in his. "Well… The first question I can answer. She is here to stop whatever is going on from going on…" He looked down to their hands intertwined. "The second one… I'm afraid I have no such answer for." Hatta looked back up into her eyes.

 _Maybe Hatta can help me… Bunny too… It seems like she does her best to take care of him. Even though she is a bit… Well… "odd" here is something different that "odd" where I'm from… In that case… she's just as normal as any other woman I've ever met…_

"You're tired." He said simply as he smiled. "Go get some rest. I believe you go to work for your Highnesses tomorrow." She nodded and began to stand, but as she started to walk away, he tugged her back. "Go sleep in my room… I'll sleep in the sitting room." As she opened her mouth to speak, he replicated her movement from earlier and cupped a hand over her mouth, and just as he did, she gave him a pointed glare.

 _In any case, I really will have to find out where the source of all this trouble came from… And maybe in the process…find a way home._ And with that thought she turned over on top of the covers and fell into a dreamless sleep, hoping that the next day would with it bring answers and more importantly, a way home.

"I want no argument from you on the subject either." He said as he removed his hand. She shook her head.

"Hatta, in any other case, I wouldn't mind letting you take the settee, but your wounds today have been multitudinous and nearly fatal…" She stood up from the table and prepared to walk to the living room as she was interrupted by a former hatter clearing his throat. She turned to look as him and he stood up and walked up to her, his face held an impossible amount of emotion as he took her by both hands and kissed her knuckles softly.

"I'm alright Bunny… Really…" He took one of her hands and rested it on his chest and took a deep breath and released, giving her full opportunity to feel his heart beating just as it always did. Strong and steady, she felt the rhythm under her fingers. She looked up at him, unshed tears in her eyes and shook her head, moving quickly to envelope him in a tight hug. "Shhh… It's alright…" He hushed her as small wet tears made their way down his shirt and quiet sobs vibrated the body of the arms wrapped around him. He bent slightly as he picked her up under the knees and carried her to him room. He carried her gently, and moved the sheets of the bed before placing her on it. He helped her to remove her shoes and most outer articles of clothing before laying her head down on the pillow. Her soft breathing told him that she had fallen asleep and he quietly made his way out of the room after placing the comforter over her, turning out the light on the way out.

 _It's alright…_ He thought to himself… _What rubbish… Nothing is going to be alright… Yet we all still continue to tell ourselves this._ He walked slowly to the sitting room, grabbing a sheet or two from the linen closet on the way, talking to himself about the events of the day.

 _And of course I know the answers to all the important questions… Why is she here?_ He shook his head. _What good can she even do here anymore?_ He slowly sat himself down on the settee with a groan and let his head fall against the back of it with his eyes closed. He let his hands rest on his chest as he took a few slow, deep breaths, and slowly began to move them to his sides, over the wounds of the day.

 _Wounds of the day…_ He chuckled to himself. _Now there's a fun set of words to describe it… though because it happens so often there probably is no other way to describe it…_ His hand made its way to where he had gotten a deep gash earlier in the day. He frowned.

 _That was a deep one alright… If Alice hadn't been there-._ His eyes shot open wide at the thought. He moved his hands away from it and got off the settee to make a bed for himself. "None of that now, you'll find yourself losing what you have left of the brilliant mind Hatta, sir." As he continued to talk to himself, he spread a single sheet onto the settee and then one more on top of that to act as a top coat. HE sat back down and began to remove his shoes.

"Ooh…" As he bent over, he felt and heard a kind of creaking in his back. "Tough luck old man…" He said to himself as he un-did his laces. "Even talking off your own shoes is becoming a bit of a strain." After removing both shoes, he turned his body long ways against the settee and stretched his legs up and over the far arm of the makeshift bed. Draping the thin sheet over him, he let his arm lay across his eyes in a fashion was sure to make his shoulder sore in the morning.

 _Not that you aren't sore already, for I'm quite sure you are…_ He heaved one more heavy sigh before letting himself drift off into a, hopefully, dreamless sleep. _For if real life is this terrible, then your dreams are either going to be worse, or they're going to be better… And at this point in time, I don't think you want to take the chance of finding out which they're going to be._


	8. How do you do, and Shake Hands

Hi again! Last chapter update for a bit since my second semester starting next week! I will continue to write and I'll try to update in bulk! Feel free to review and comment!

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"Hatta…"

"Mmmm…"

"Hatta…"

"Mmmff…" A pair of sleepy blue eyes open slowly to see a pair of pair of brown one's staring at him. "Oh…Morning."

"I'm off." She whispered softly as she kissed his nose. "Just wanted to say good-bye."

"Bye." He said quietly. And sat up as she made her way to the door. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Yes. I also made a fresh pot of tea, it's on the stove. Bye." She turned the knob and cracked the door open before turning around once more. "You weren't uncomfortable on the settee last night?"

"Oh no, not all." Said Hatta as he all but fell out of his makeshift bed. "Quite alright as usual. Have a good day Bunny."

"See you later then." And she stepped out the door, but not before turning back to ask, "Were you planning on taking a constitution after lunch today?"

"No I think not, probably going to stay in today if I can help it." He ran his fingers in a weak attempt to tame it. "Be safe." She nods in response, before stepping out. "Oh Bunny, dear?"

"Yes?" She sticks her head into the room, with most of her body already outside.

"Um…" He had a finger in the air, trying to touch on what he was going to ask. "Well…" He chuckled tiredly. "Never mind. Err, go well Bunny." She giggled, shaking her head at him.

"Stay well Hattie." And with that she closed the door.

"Ugh…" He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck chuckling. "Hattie."

"That's quite a nickname." He turned to see Alice leaning on a nearby doorframe.

"It is, isn't it?" He looked at her bashfully. "I err, hope we didn't wake you."

"No, not at all." She shook her head. "I was just thinking about yesterday…" He nodded silently. "A lot happened yesterday."

"Yes…Uh, I suppose a lot did happen yesterday…" He slowly began to walk toward the kitchen. "We could talk over breakfast of you like?" She nodded and followed him in. "We have eggs, biscuits and… well…eggs on biscuits. We're a bit short at the moment."

"Just a biscuit is fine Hatta." She smiled kindly at him.

"Alright." He set about to putting a few out on a large platter along with jam and butter if it was wanted. "Tea, then?"

"Yes please."

"Um, how do you-?"

"No cream or sugar. Thanks." She took a biscuit off of the plate and took a small bite out of it. "Mmmm! This is very good."

"Ah! Yes, in Bunny's absence I will accept the praise. She bakes like an absolute dream!" He set the pot on the table and grabs two cups and pours for the both of them.

"Yes… I wonder where she learned that from." She meant it to come out as a question, but it sounded more like a statement.

"Err, was that a… question?" He asked as he took a sip of tea.

"It was meant to be…yes. Do you know the answer?" She asked carefully.

"You mean do I know where she learned to bake?" She nodded. "May I ask why you'd like to know?" He looked up from his cups.

"No particular reason." She thought back to what Bunny said to her when they revisited the memory of the battle into town. "Just wondered if you might know that about her… Or anything else.

"… I do not know that, in particular, no." He set down his cup and looked at her sternly. "Is there a reason you're so concerned Alice?"

"I'm sorry?" She asked, slightly confused as to why he would become offended. "I only wanted-."

"Wanted to what? Why is it you're so concerned about where she comes from?"

"Hatta, I only asked because of what she told me!" Her voice raising slightly.

"Oh? And just what did she tell you?!" He shouted, slowly becoming angry.

"That she had a wretched past!" His face showed surprise. "And that she was willing to do whatever was needed to-!" He held up a stiff hand, a request for silence as he stood up from the table to lean over the sink and look outside the window.

"I… I'm sorry Alice." He sighed. "She might have wanted to tell you herself, but she won't mind telling her story for her…" He turned back around to face her.

"Is it a long story?"

"No… but it might be a sad one."

"Might be?" She asked, once again confused. "Is it sad, or isn't it?"

"Depends on where you think the ending is." He shrugged. "Now then… how to begin…"

 _From what she's told me, she used to be an indentured servant. Sort of a live in housemaid, but with far more responsibility. And she was owned by the people she worked for._

"Who did she work for?"

 _I'm getting there…_ He cleared his throat. _She worked for a Mr. and Mrs. Ebener. Excuse me, Dr. and Mrs. Ebener. Dr. Ebener was a doctor of medicine. His wife dabbled in dressmaking, but was known around the neighborhood as a simple house wife, burdened with the daunting task of raising a single son._

"Burdened?" She interrupted.

"I say burdened because she said burdened. Apparently, Mrs. Ebner was a very inept woman who considered raising a child to be a chore." Alice made a small "o" shape with her mouth in understanding. "May I continue without interruption?"

"Sorry, yes. Please continue." Feeling much like the child she was, when she first fell into wonderland, she sat quietly as he continued.

 _As I was saying. Mrs. Ebner considered raising a child to be a chore. So naturally, the task was left to her housemaid. This meant that she was entirely responsible for feeding the child, cleaning the child, making the clothes for the child, and other such duties that come from said task. Of course, this doesn't seem to come with any unordinary difficulty, nor would it have if our lovely Bunny, wasn't a woman of color._

 _And as she is a woman of color. There was difficulty in everything she did._

Here, he took a deep breath and looked away from Alice.

 _On a good day, she once told me, she might have experienced verbal abuse from the good doctor and his wife in the morning, as well as from their son. Both sticks and stones thrown at her on the way to the boy's place of education, the same again on the way to pick up whatever groceries were needed that day. After that, on the way back to the home. Racial slurs, more rocks being thrown at her. Requests to go "back to the motherland" and things of that nature. Emotionally and physically stripping her of her very being…_ His voice became quiet as he continued.

He gave details of the poor treatment of the owners of the home against Bernice. Some things Alice only reacted mildly to with a grimace or a sad glance down to her lap. Other things, she couldn't handle. At the thought of the same kind woman earlier who'd looked so pure and innocent, being practically branded every few days with a heated poker… She took a shuddering breath as he brought the story to a close.

 _At the end of it all, the flat went up in a terrible fire. And she… was the only one to survive. Naturally everyone assumed that she had in fact committed arson and the should have been arrested and hung._

"But she wasn't." It was meant to be a question, but the lack of energy in her voice made it seem otherwise. It was obvious that the feeling was mutual between the woman and the hatter, for by the end of his tale, it seemed as if he had lost a whole night's sleep. He now resembled the worn mass of flesh she had all but carried back to the house the night before. Her interruption was not unwanted.

"No, she wasn't. She was arrested, but she escaped custody." He put down he long-empty tea cup and sat back down at the table, letting his head rest on a balled up fist. "She found her way here shortly after." He gave a sad chuckle. "She didn't tell me the story herself until a few Wednesdays ago." He looked up at Alice.

"It makes sense now." She said simply. "She said it to protect herself…" He nodded. "She doesn't trust me." He winced.

"It isn't that she doesn't trust you… It's just that…" He found himself at a loss for words. "She just doesn't trust."

"Anyone?" He shook his head slowly. "Not even you?"

"Not even I..." He said bitterly.

"But you two do…" Alice threw a hand in reference to the living room scene earlier that morning.

"Well, I'd like to say that I know what Bunny and I have. We do care for each other-." Alice attempted to hide a giggle.

"Yes, well, that's fairly obvious." He glared at her half-heartedly.

"Ehem…" She shrugged her shoulders and innocently sipped her newly refilled cup of tea. "In any case. She knows that I'd never harm her."

"So then she does trust you." He shook his head.

"What we have isn't trust…It's more like…An agreement. She will always heal me… And I'll always put my life on the line for her."

"Oye! Hatta! Are you in there?!" A loud voice was accompanied by several harsh raps to the front door.

"Were you expecting company today?" He chuckled tiredly.

"Hatta! Open this blasted door!" Three more smacks to the door.

"Nope. Come along and answer the door with me." He stood up from the table and took five long strides to the door.

"Hatta!" And there he stood in the doorway.

"Tweedle-!"

"That's just Dee! Thank you very much!" And he directed his attention back to Hatta. "And when were you going to come into contact with me?! You always tell me what happened the morning after a battl-!" He cut himself off and directed his attention back towards the unannounced house guest.

"Yes well, do forgive me Dee, Bunny and I had a few difficulties yesterday and, as you've just noticed, we have an expected guest." Dee walked towards Alice slowly and stared in awe.

"I do believe the proper way to begin would be to say how do you do…" And she stuck out a hand. "And shake hands." She couldn't help but repeat the words that she had heard so long ago.

"Well, Dee, shouldn't you ought to-?"

"AL-!" Hatta rushed to cover his mouth.

"Ah-ah! Not so loud my friend." He gestured towards the door with his head. "Close the door for me, won't you dear? And we'll go make some fresh tea, won't we Dee?" Alice shut the door as Hatta shuffled him into the kitchen.

"Ack! Hatta!" He roughly removed his hand. "When did she get here?!"

"Yesterday, during the battle! She all but saved my life." She walked back into the kitchen to find the both of them leaning against the sink.

"It went that bad, did it?" Hatta stooped mid pour to quint his eyes in faux-anger.

"I thought I held my own pretty well." He continued to pour, feeling slightly un appreciated. "I wouldn't have needed her help if he hadn't caught me off guard."

"Ah, but you should be used to that by now. Everyone and their fish knows that White knights aren't to be trusted. They have no honor!"

"Not all of the White Knights are that way-."

"Just Sir Blanc?" She leaned on the door way.

"Yes, just Sir Blanc." He nodded. "I… I don't think I ever thanked you for your assistance yesterday."

"It's no trouble Hatta."

"No trouble?" Dee sounded surprised. "Listen here, don't let this old hatter fool you. He's absolutely more than capable to defend his self! IF he needed your help, which he did apparently, then he must have been in pretty bad shape. Contrary wise Alice, lots of trouble!" He sipped at his tea.

"Really?" Alice looked to Hatta. "From what he's told me, it sounded more like there was little he could do to defend his self."

"Oh, in the beginning maybe. But after a few battles, he could do more than just defend his self." He said proudly.

"Dee, that's enough. Listen Alice, don't pay any attention to him. He's potty." Dee guffawed.

"This coming from our very own mad-!"

"Don't." Hatta interrupted the statement, staring rather darkly into his tea.

"Ahh, sorry there." Dee said quietly.

"Ehem," Alice attempted to change the subject. "Why the visit Dee? Hatta told me he wasn't expecting any company today."

"Oh! Right! Well, I'm here for two reasons." She nodded. "The first I already mentioned. The second one… We might need to…" He pointed over to the door that lead to the secret room in the basement.

"Ah! Of course, um, I'll go get that- Alice dear, do us a favor and watch the tea for me, we'll be back with the rackets in a bit." Hatta stood hurriedly from the table and shuffled Dee towards the door opening it quickly pushing him in. "We shan't be long!" And with that he closed the door leaving Alice sitting with a pot of tea at the kitchen table.

 _I certainly hope not._ She thought to herself. _Then again, I wonder what the second reason was._

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 _Thanks for the read! R &R! 3_


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